heigh ho heigh ho...

well, I've created my "must do before christmas" list and to be honest, I think that it would only work if I added 2011 to the end of the list title! So I'm being realistic and aiming for what I can complete in time for our annual weekend before chrimbo trip back home.  I should be able to finish the top for Maia's christmas quilt tonight (only one more strip to add):

using the new wave pattern by Oh, Fransson

Maia is a girl for pink; anyone who knows me knows that her auntie kettleboiler isn't!  So choosing the colours for her quilt was both really easy and really difficult for me (if that makes sense).  It's brighter than it looks too!  still, I've been wanted to use this Heather Ross Mendicino fabric for a while now and I think it looks good with the hint of green in the Monaluna Monaco fabrics.  I'm planning to back this with from great Heather Ross Rapunzel fabric from her Far Far Away II range:


purchased from a great online shop called M is for Make

Perfect for Maia and a calmer choice should Maia or her mum not be in a bright pink mood.  I hope to have the quilt done this weekend (another unachievable goal?).

Once this pressie is done and dusted, I'm planning to make some bags to give as gifts and more mug rugs.  I might even give free motion quilting another go *shudders in fear and intrepidation at the very thought*

{Modern} Relief - check it out!

Heather of { House } of A La Mode has gathered together 17 Modern Quilters to join her in making quilts to donate to a fund raising raffle for charity this Holiday Season.


Pop over to Heather's blog to check out the amazing quilts that are included in the raffle.  It's $10 per entry and payment is through paypal and you can enter as many times as you like.  The draw will be made on 1st December.  ALL proceeds go to World Vision.  A great idea and a great cause!

crash and burn!(....sort of)

Riding high in the fabby comments I received from fellow Blogger Quilt festivalers for Ruby cubed, and in an effort to finish off the living room that we've been working on pretty much all year, I dived into making curtains for this first time last weekend.  Bolstered by a lunchtime glass of pinot grigio (probably not my best decision!), I cut and sewed up the first curtain and then hung it up unhemmed, awaiting the crowd going mad and wild applause. It was at this point I realised that the 3 inches of fabric I just cut off WAS my hem and then some.  D'OH!!! Instead of being floor length, it was mid skirting board length, which I am telling myself is soooooo next season.

I'm not brave enough to show the hem yet!

 Anyway, after a week of licking my wounds, I'll make the partner curtain today and hem the b*ggers to a suitable fashion forward length *kicking self hard*

So after Laughing Boy talking me out of putting Bertha the sewing machine on ebay, I decided to jump on a long departed bandwagon and make some mug rugs.


I heart echino!



once again apols for the photography

They are so much fun and I'm hoping will bring out my more experimental side (dare I say improv?).  I was hoping to try out free motion quilting on them as they are a cute size but after a disasterous attempt yesterday, maybe that's a step too far at the moment.

Finally, after much hesitation, I jumped in and made the ice cream dress for Lady G. It took me ALL day , invovled french seams (my choice) and required a couple of seam retakes but ta-dah........

pretty chuffed :)

This seems to be a post of firsts.  My first curtain, mug rug and dress...oh and my first ever french seams!  Lessons include thinking harder about starting a project (with expensive fabric) after a pub lunch, reading the instructions properly and being happy about being a small part of a great online community.

Bracing myself for curtains Round 2!